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Whether you affect
people positively or negatively doesn’t
only determine what people think of
you and their willingness to help
you. It also profoundly influences
how valuable you are to your employer—and
therefore, your “Employability
Quotient.”
This comes from the research conducted
by the University of Virginia’s
Dr. Rob Cross and his associates.
It’s Not Necessarily
What’s In Your Head, It’s
What’s In Your Heart
When Dr. Cross and his team began
studying collaboration and information
flow in organizations, they discovered
it wasn’t intellectual factors
that determined who the “go
to” people were in an organization.
It wasn’t a person’s subject
matter expertise, access to knowledge
bases, or years of experience that
determined whether people sought their
advice, listened to their ideas, and
wanted to collaborate with them.
To their surprise, they discovered
that the number one factor determining
an individual’s overall productivity
was whether they were a…
…De-Energizer or an Energizer.
In other words, people who uplifted
others, who encouraged others to explore
possibilities, who truly listened,
and who showed respect for different
points of view…
…These people made things
happen.
Colleagues came to them for advice.
When they needed help, others were
eager to assist. When they had a new
idea, people listened.
Conversely, co-workers avoided De-energizers
whenever possible. People didn’t
want to hear what De-Energizers had
to say and would find creative “work
arounds” to avoid them.
Nothing Else Comes Close
Dr. Cross’s research revealed
that whether people were considered
to be Energizers or De-Energizers
was four times stronger of a predictor
of their productivity than the next
closest factor.
Four times.
Therefore, if you’re interested
in maximizing your effectiveness—not
to mention your employability—it
will pay to reflect on whether you
are perceived as an Energizer or a
De-Energizer.
Characteristics of Energizers
In his writings, Dr. Cross identifies
core behaviors of both groups. Energizers:
- Communicate a compelling vision
when advocating an idea.
- Create opportunities for others
to make meaningful contributions.
- Actively engage others when discussing
issues.
- Facilitate progress toward a goal,
without forcing their preconceived
agenda or bogging others down in
unproductive meanderings and time
wasting meetings.
Characteristics of De-Energizers
On the other hand, De-Energizers:
- Constantly air negative viewpoints.
- Fail to listen to others.
- Favor their own solutions.
- Do not keep commitments.
When asked about what makes someone
a De-Energizer, interviewees repeatedly
talked about how:
De-energizers “drained
the energy of the other co-workers
and groups, stifled creativity and
hindered progress on initiatives.”
Given that employee energy is the
fuel that powers productivity, and
makes courage and determination possible,
De-Energizers cost their employers
dearly.
While De-Energizers sucked the life
out of those they dealt with, Energizers
had a very different effect on their
colleagues—and ultimately on
the effectiveness of their organization:
“To a person, (our interviewees)
indicated that energizing interactions
enabled them to see new possibilities
by integrating different expertise
or perspectives. Energizing interactions
helped overcome natural disconnects
between people with different backgrounds
and expertise by creating the social
space—the mutual respect,
confidence and openness—that
enabled possibilities to emerge.”
“In terms of implementation,
energizers excel at attracting others
to an initiative and convincing
them to act on their ideas. The
energizer’s ability to enthuse
helps them get discretionary effort—and
more of it—from those around
them.”*
It’s More Important
Than Ever to be an Energizer
Given the challenging times we face,
we all need to do our part to uplift
each other. This is not a time to
be petty, whiny, or nitpicky. It is
not a time to expect others to bear
the burden of our bad moods or put
up with our disrespectful behavior.
If you are an individual contributor
and not a manager, this is not the
time to say “It’s up to
management to improve morale.”
Each employee can have an effect
on morale—whether positive or
negative—based on whether he
or she engages in Energizing or De-Energizing
behaviors. At this point in history,
each employee MUST do their part.
Are You More Of An Energizer
Or A De-Energizer?
To find out, answer the following
questions in this simple self-assessment.
While Dr. Rob Cross’s original
self-assessment consists of 8 questions,
I took the liberty of modifying some
of his questions and adding a few
more:
- Do you make an effort to build
relationships as a regular practice—getting
to know your peers, colleagues from
other departments, improving communication,
etc?
- Do you keep your commitments (and
if you drop the ball, do you apologize)?
- Do you address tough issues without
blaming or judging, and do you take
responsibility for your part of
problems?
- When you disagree with someone,
do you focus your discussion on
the merits of their idea, rather
than personally attacking them by
questioning their judgment or intelligence,
or expressing disapproval?
- Are you “present”
and engaged in conversations and
meetings, rather than distracted
or multitasking?
- Are you open to other’s
point of view or is your goal to
show them why you are right (or
smarter)?
- Do you use your expertise and
intellect to facilitate discovery
when discussing challenging topics,
rather than to steamroll the other
person into accepting your point
of view?
- Do you look for opportunities
to catch people doing things right,
rather than point out their mistakes
or minor slip-ups?
- In meetings, do you track conversations,
so your contribution is relevant
and useful, rather than allow yourself
to go off on tangents, despite their
lack of relevance or importance
to others?
- Do you use humor to lighten the
mood rather than as a weapon to
put others down?
- Do you offer help to others rather
than focus primarily on how others
can help you achieve your objectives?
How to Put This To Use
- Notice your reaction to the people
you interact with over the next
week. Observe whether they’re
an “upper” or a “downer”
and then examine what they did to
create that effect. Ask yourself
“Do I do these things?”
(whether they are Energizing or
De-Energizing behaviors).
- Pay attention to what comes out
of your mouth. Ask yourself “Is
it primarily negative or positive?”
a. Negative = Focusing on what’s
wrong, things you can’t
change, why things won’t
work, gossip, others’ mistakes,
etc.
b. Positive = Focusing on the
positive aspects of the current
situation, hidden opportunities,
ideas for making improvements,
contributions people have made,
how helpful someone has been to
you, etc.
- Notice if you focus on things
you can’t do anything about,
or on those things you can control
or influence. When we focus on things
we can’t do anything about,
it brings us down. Engaging others
in conversations about things you
can’t control brings everybody
down. It fosters helplessness and
a victim mentality. Focusing on,
and taking responsibility for, things
you can do something about fosters
a winner’s attitude.
- When people bring up ideas or
discuss challenging situations,
practice keeping an open mind and
focus your attention on possibilities.
By Doing This, You Win,
and Everybody Wins
By practicing becoming even more
of an Energizer, you will not only
be contributing to your success and
“Employability Quotient”,
you will also be doing what you can
to improve morale, teamwork, and overall
esprit de corps in your organization.
By becoming more of an Energizer,
you will become an informal leader
in your organization, regardless of
your title and position. Your presence
and way of being will inspire others
to become their best selves and increase
the odds they too will act as an Energizer.
*Source: Charged
Up: Managing the Energy that Drives
Innovation”</a> from The
Network Roundtable at the University
of Virginia
Related Articles By David Lee
Are
You Helping to Create a Goodwill Culture?
Are
Your People Whiners or Winners?
Related Professional Development Programs
by David Lee
“Stress Less to Unleash Your
Best”
“The Informal Leader Program
for Individual Contributors: How to
Be a Dream Employee and Informal Leader”
Contact
David Lee for booking information.
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